With a Nilla wafer crust and a lip-smacking no bake cheesecake bursting with fresh strawberries – These Strawberry No Bake Cheesecakes will have you reaching out for seconds!
There’s a movement, people. Truly, there is. It’s called the No Bake Movement. It happens every summer. Didn’t you know? You weren’t up on this?
Let me school you, homies. Nobody wants to bake in summer. That is unless you’re able to crank up your central air to arctic temps; temps cold enough to see your breath indoors while it’s sweltering outdoors. What, you don’t have that luxury? I hear ya, boo. I’m here to help.
We’re going to bang out a pretty tasty dessert without breaking an unattractive sweat stain under your pits. Flow with me…
These No Bake Strawberry Cheesecakes start with a strawberry puree added to a cream cheese base. We add a bit of confectioners’ sugar and whipped cream to help hold its shape against these hot, hot temps. The filling alone is enough to make you forget yourself. But wait… There’s more! There’s a nilla wafer crust situation which lines the bottom of every single one of these desserts. This nilla wafer crust is put together with crushed nilla wafers, melted butter, and a bit ‘o sugar. I put my nilla wafers inside a sealed Ziploc bag and take out my frustrations with a meat tenderizer. You can also punch the crappies out of the plastic bag. I’m not one to interrupt your flow.
Once nilla wafers are crushed and moistened, grab some mini dessert vessels. It’s OK – I’ll wait. Got ‘em? Good. Line the bottom of your dessert vessels with a couple tablespoons of those sinfully moist crushed nilla wafers and flatten. I like to use a shot glass for this. If you want to use your hands, by all means, do you. Pipe strawberry cheesecake till you reach the top. THE.TOP. For the hell of it, save some nilla wafer crummies to sprinkle over the cheesecake filling. Just roll like that.
These strawberry no bake cheesecakes are sinfully delicious. What can possibly compete with sweet strawberry puree folded into a tart cream cheese? And you don’t have to bake it?! Nothing competes with that. Nothing. So yeah… There’s this movement. It’s the No Bake Movement and you need to go where it goes. I mean, really… Unattractive sweaty pit stains are not the move.
[purerecipe]
Ingredients
Nilla wafer crust
- About 65 Nilla wafers
- 4 tablespoons 1/2 stick Unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup Light brown sugar packed
- ½ tablespoon Vanilla bean paste
Strawberry cheesecake filling
- 3 cups Strawberries hulled and sliced
- 16 ounces Cream cheese cold
- 2 ½ tablespoons Vanilla bean paste
- 3 cups sifted if lumpy Confectioners’ sugar
- 2 cups Heavy cream cold
- Strawberry slices for garnish
Instructions
- Make the Nilla wafer crust:
- Place the Nilla wafers in a 1 gallon Ziploc bag. Seal the bag and with a meat tenderizer (or your hands) crush the Nilla wafers until they form crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a medium bowl and pour the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla bean paste. Mix until the Nilla wafers are moistened and the texture resembles wet sand. Set aside while you make the cheesecake filling.
- Make the strawberry cheesecake filling:
- Puree the strawberries until smooth in a blender and transfer to a small bowl.
- To a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (a hand mixer and large bowl work here as well), add the cold cream cheese and vanilla bean paste. Mix on medium/high until the mostly smooth, about 45 seconds or so. Add the strawberry puree and mix until incorporated. Stop the mixer and add the confectioners’ sugar. Whisk on low speed until the confectioners’ sugar is mostly mixed with the cream cheese mixture. Increase the speed to high and mix until fluffy, about 2 minutes or so.
- Add the heavy cream in 3 parts, allowing the heavy cream to thicken each time before each addition. Whip on high until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Transfer the cheesecake filling to a large piping bag fitted with a star or round tip and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Don’t own a piping bag? Don’t sweat it. You can either pour the filling inside a Ziploc bag and cut a hole in the corner of the bag, or spoon that situation. We’re easy here.
- To assemble:
- Grab ten, 4 oz. mini dessert bowls and your Nilla wafer crumbs. Reserve about ¼ cup of the Nilla wafer crumbs and set aside. Line the bottom of each mini dessert bowl with a couple tablespoons of the Nilla wafer crumbs and flatten with either a shot glass or with moistened fingers. Spoon or pipe strawberry cheesecake filling into each dessert bowl and top with Nilla wafer crumbs. Garnish with strawberries if desired.
- Makes ten, 4 ounce desserts.
